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(No Model.) r 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

' E. A. COLBY. APPARATUS FOR TREATING OARBONS FOR INOANDESGENT ELECTRIC LIGHTS.

ented Feb. 1'7, 1885.

No. 312,552. P

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N: PETERS. Phuwumo m Washinglon, u. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 2.

E. A. COLBY. APPARATUS FOR TREATING OARBONS FOR INGANDESGBN'T ELECTRIC LIGHTS.

No. 312,552. Patented Feb. 17, 1885.

u. vanes. Hub-W Wm. 11 a UNITED STATES Trice.

' PATENT EDWARD A. COLBY, OF NEYV ARK, NET/V JERSEY,ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES ELECTRIC LIGHTING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N Y.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CARBONS FOR INQANDESCENT ELECTRIC LIGHTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Noj312,552, dated February 17, 1885.

(N model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. COLBY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treat-. ing Carbons for Incandescent Electric Lamps. of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanyro ing and forming a part of the same.

In the manufacture of certain kinds of elec-. tric incandescent lamps it is customary to subject the conductors, aftercarbonization, to a process or treatment designed to reduce their electrical resistance to a given standard. This process consists in maintaining the said conductors at incandescence in a hydrocarbon gas or vapor until, by the deposition of carbon in their pores and upon their surfaces,the desired resistance is attained. Carbons have been thus treated by connecting them singly or in multiple are, or in series with the circuit from a suitable generator, and the circuit has been interrupted at the proper in- 2 5 stant by means of an elcctro-magnetic cut-out or switch controlled either by the entire current or a given portion of the same. For many reasons, not necessary to state, it has been found advisable to treat the carbons by the plan last named above-that is, by con-' necting up two or more in series in the same circuit; but this process does not obviate a certain disadvantagawhich, so far as I have been able to discover, is due to the manner in 3 5 which the deposition of the carbon is eiiected.

\Vhen a current of proper strength is first directed through two or more carbons under treatment, the resistance of the carbons being very high they are but slightly'reddened. 40 The deposition of carbon, therefore, takes place very slowly at first; but as their resistance is in this way gradually reduced, a proportionately greater amount of current passes through them; After a certain time this change takes place much more rapidly, and

for a certain time before the limit of resistance'is reached the incandescence is very high, and the deposition of carbon takes place so rapidly that a granular deposit is o formed that is not as effective as that produced slowly.

I .The main object of my present invention is to prevent the too rapid dissociation and deposition of carbon, and this I effect bylowering the electro-motive force in the treatingcircuit in proportion to the reduction of the resistance of the carbons under treatment, so that the carbons may not be brought to too high a degree of incaudescence.

The improvements which I have devised, though more particularly applicable to the method of treating carbons in series, and therefore described in connection with such alone, are equally applicable to other methods, the modified conditions of which may necessitate only such changes in the adjustment or arrangement of apparatus as will be well understood with the aid of the accompanying description.

The apparatus by means of which this pro cess is or may be carried out is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. I will now refer to them for a description of the details of said apparatus and of its operation.

Figure 1 is a diagram of the complete sys- 7 5 tern. Fig. 2 is a diagram of the winding of I the regulating-magnet. Fig. 3 is a modified arrangement of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

I employ a treating apparatus consisting of a tube, A, with valves a a, that may be raised to admitair, a tube, 13, connecting with a vessel, B, containing a hydrocarbon liquid. and two sets of treating receivers or globes, O D, connected with the tube A by branches 1) b, that extend up through the plates 0, upon which the receivers rest.

E is a barometric gage for indicating the atmospheric or vapor tension. F is a cock for shutting off the communication with the vessel 13, and S is an ordinary three-way cock for bringing either set of receivers C or D into communication with tube B, and an air-exhaust pump through tube (1. This apparatus is essentially the same as those described in numerous patents granted to Hiram S. Maxim and Edward \Veston.

G is a switch for directing the main or treat ing current from a generator, H, through either set of receivers.

I I designate this circuit and the branches of the same that go to the receivers, the connections being made in such manner that the carbons ein receivers O, or the carbons f in receivers D, when brought into circuit by a proper movement of the switch G, will be in series.

In circuit I is an electromagnetic cut-out, that may be adjusted to break the circuit when the current through it reaches a given strength.

The construction of this device is similar to that described in patent to Hiram S. Maxim, No. 264,951, dated September 26, 1882. Circuit I also includes one coil of a differential magnet, K, which forms part of. a regulator capable of shifting the position of a contactarm over the plates of a rheostat, and thus varying the resistance of a circuit including the coils of a rheostat. Many forms of regu' lator may be employed for this purpose. That shown is in principle of construction similar to that described in patent to Edward Weston, No. 278,640, May 29,1883, andin applications by him made, and will not therefore be described herein in detail. The magnet K, however, inlieu of being wound with one coil, as is ordinarily done, is wound oppositely with two, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. One of these coils, as has been stated, is in the circuit I. The other is in a circuit, L, that forms a shunt around the carbons in the receivers O D, as indicated. In this circuit there may be included a volt-meter, M, either in the circuit, as in 'Fig. 8, or in a branch thereof, as in Fig. 1, a rheostat, N, being employed in the latter event to distribute the proper proportion of current. The rheostat 0, controlled by the magnet K and pivoted armature I, is in the derived fieldcircuit R of the generator.

The operation of the system and manner of usingthe same are as follows: Two or more carbons, as 6, being mounted in the receivers O,the three-way cock S is turned to bring said receivers into communication with the air-eX- haust and with tube B. WVhen the air has been withdrawn as perfectly as possible, the cock F is turned to admit vapor from the vessel B. The cock F is then turned back, and the vapor pumped out as far as possible. The air-pump is then shut off and a given quantity of vapor, as indicated by the gage, is admitted into the receivers. The switch G is then turned over onto the point m. The resistance of the carbons 6 being very high, enough current will be directed through the shunt L to overcome the magnetizing effects of the current in circuit I upon the magnet K and the retractile force of the spring P, and to attract the armature 1?, this being readily accomplished by a well-understood construction and winding of the coils and proper adjustment of the spring P. While this condition of things con-' tinues the regulator acts to reduce the resistance of the field-circuit R and increase the electro-motive force developed by the generator. As the resistance of the carbons, however, is lowered by the accession of electrodeposited carbon, the relative effects of the two currents change. After a time the current in circuit I so far neutralizes the effect of that in shunt L that the spring P withdraws the armature, thus operating the rheostat in the opposite direction, increasing the resistance of the field-circuit R, and lowering the electro-motive force. By this action the incandcscence of the carbons is keptdown, and the deposit goes on at a slow rate until the reduction of resistance causes the current in circuit I to so far preponderate as to attract the armature P. This producesa momentary in crease in the electro motive force,which, under the altered conditions of resistance,brings into operation the cut-out and interrupts the treating-circuit. After having thus treated one set of carbons the current is switched off through the second set, and the same operation repeated.

By the described process of treating the difference of potential between the terminals of the shunt L through the carbons is reduced during practically all of the time that the deposition of the carbon is taking place, and the resistance lowered. They will therefore remain at a comparatively low state of incandescence, and the deposit which they receive will be much better than that obtained by the usual methods.

The several steps necessary to the successful operation of this system may be performed by mechanism varying greatly in mechanical construction, and I do not confine myself to the specific construction-shown.

By slight changes in adjustment the devices described may be utilized for carbons of widely varying resistances, and in such cases where it is necessary to vary the relative effects of the main and shunt currents upon magnet K, a ready means of doing this is by including in the coils of the shunt L on the magnet K a plug-switch, T, or any similar device, (see Fig. 3,) by which all the convolutions of the coil may be in series or parts of the same in multiple arc.

I do not claim herein any of the mechanisms employed apart from the combinations into which they enter; but,

Having now described my invention and the best manner of which I am at present aware in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with an electrical carbon-treating apparatus and a generator for supplying current to the carbon-conductors under treatment, of mechanism for'lowering the electro-motive force developed by the generator as theresistance of the carbons is reduced, the said mechanism being operated or controlled by the electric current of the generator, in substantially the manner herein set forth.

2. The combination, with an electrical car- ICC boa-treating apparatus and a dynamo-electric machine for supplying the current to the carbon-conductors under treatment, of a variable resistance in the field-circuit of the machine, and an electro-magnetic regulator for varying said resistance, as herein set forth, according .to the resistance of the carbon-conductors, the regulator being operated or controlled by the electric current of the generator, in substantially the manner described.

3. The combination, with an electrical carbon-treating apparatus and a dynamo-electric machine for supplying current to the carbon-conductors under treatment, of means for varying the electro-motive force developed by the machine, and an electro-magnct and armature for controlling said means, the magnet being wound oppositely with two coils included, respectively, in the main circuit of the machine and in ashunt-circuit around the carbons, as and for the'purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination, witha dynamo-electric machine, a circuit, and two or more carbon-conductors included in series in the circuit and surrounded by a hydrocarbon vapor, of a rheostat included in the field-circuit of the machine, and a difi'erentially-wound electromagnetic regulator operated or controlled by opposing action of the current in the circuit including the carbons and that in a shunt around them for'varying or operating the rheostat, in substantially themanner herein specified.

5. The combination, with a dynan1o-electric machine, a circuit, and carbon-conductors included in the circuit and surrounded by a hydrocarbon gas or vapor, of mechanism for varying the elcctro-motive force developed by the machine, a differentially-wound magnet, the coils of which are included, respectively, in the circuit containing the carbons and in a shunt around them for controlling the said mechanism, and an electromagnetic cut-out for interrupting the circuit through the carbons, all substantially as herein set forth.

6. The combination, with a dynamo-electric machine, a circuit,vand carbon-conductors included in the circuit, of a rheostat in the field-circuit of the machine, a differentiallywound magnet with coils included, respectively, in the circuit with the carbons and in a shunt around them, and a pivoted armature with retract-ile spring for operating or varying the rheostat, in substantially the manner described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of July, 1884.

EDWARD A. COLBY.

\Vitn esses:

RICHARD W. BLOEMEKE, FRANK N. CRANE. 

